Sometimes I see a small drama unfold and wonder what the dialogue might be. On this day, tired from my walking all over lower Manhattan, I stopped on a shady bench to kill time before a meeting. These two guys were seated for a late (4pm) lunch at the cafe across the street. They were engaged in a conversation that seemed to border on the operatic. Until the waitress appeared...and they calmed down and remained silent. But they picked right up again as soon as she left. What, I wondered, were they arguing about? Should I have gone over and asked? Or walked close by, stopping to "look at my watch" so I could hear? Probably better to imagine.
When I'm with someone and we see a couple like this who are engrossed in animated conversation, I like to say that I learned from deaf people at WGBH the fine art of reading lips. Yes, I can read lips expertly, I insist. Then I "read" the couple's lips ... and make up the most fantastic tale of passion and betrayal. You'd be surprised how often people fall for this subterfuge. And who knows? Maybe my version is somehow accidentally close to the truth.
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm with someone and we see a couple like this who are engrossed in animated conversation, I like to say that I learned from deaf people at WGBH the fine art of reading lips. Yes, I can read lips expertly, I insist. Then I "read" the couple's lips ... and make up the most fantastic tale of passion and betrayal. You'd be surprised how often people fall for this subterfuge. And who knows? Maybe my version is somehow accidentally close to the truth.
ReplyDelete